A 31-year-old mother of two has died weeks after undergoing a botched cosmetic surgery performed by an unlicensed practitioner in her Queens home, authorities have confirmed.
Maria Penaloza Cabrera, a Colombian national, died on April 11 after being declared brain-dead following a butt lift implant removal procedure on March 28. According to officials, the procedure was carried out by 38-year-old Felipe Hoyos-Foronda, who administered lidocaine through a syringe, causing Cabrera to go into cardiac arrest.
Lidocaine is a local anesthetic and an FDA-approved cardiac medication, according to the National Library of Medicine (NIH).
"She went there because a friend had already gone there for an operation and recommended him," her sister, Linney Peaaloza Cabrera, told the New York Daily News.
"A friend who went with Maria called and said she was taken away in an ambulance but she didn't know how bad it was."
"We never imagined this would happen," her sister added.
Doctors reportedly spent two and a half hours trying to revive Ms Cabrera after she was intubated at the hospital. She was declared to have no brain activity and was "not likely to survive," according to an internal police report obtained by The New York Times.
Hoyos-Foronda was arrested the same day at John F Kennedy International Airport while attempting to flee the country to Colombia. Authorities tracked him through the licence plate of his vehicle, which was seen on the Van Wyck Expressway. He was charged with second-degree assault and unauthorised practice of a profession.
"Whenever circumstances change in a case we re-examine the charges," the Queens District Attorney's Office said, as per The NY Post. "This remains an active and ongoing investigation, and we cannot provide further comment."
According to prosecutors, the suspected cause of death is lidocaine toxicity. Lidocaine is generally safe when properly administered, but can be fatal in large doses or when injected incorrectly.
Hoyos-Foronda allegedly ran an illegal liposuction clinic out of a home in Ditmars Steinway, New York, and promoted his cosmetic services - including Botox and other procedures - on TikTok, as per USA Today. His now-deleted page reportedly showed videos and photos of people undergoing treatment, according to the police.
A GoFundMe page created by Ms Cabrera's family said that doctors disconnected her from life support on April 11.
The fundraiser, which has raised almost $6,400 (around Rs 5. 5 lakh) of its $20,000 (approximately Rs 17 lakh) goal, aims to help her relatives travel from Colombia to the US to say their final goodbyes.
Maria Cabrera leaves behind two young children.
The Chief Medical Examiner's office is still working to determine the official cause of death.
